{"id":664472,"date":"2024-05-14T05:21:37","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T12:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=664472"},"modified":"2024-11-04T08:02:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T16:02:22","slug":"sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Sponge City&#8221;: Using Water to Improve Social and Ecological Outcomes"},"author":671,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[386272,338472,441,134582,279132],"industry":[],"esri-blog-category":[478472,478452],"esri_blog_department":[478202,478212],"class_list":["post-664472","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-esri-insider","tag-china","tag-engineering","tag-geodesign","tag-stormwater","tag-water","esri-blog-category-resilience","esri-blog-category-smart-planning","esri_blog_department-infrastructure","esri_blog_department-resilience"],"acf":{"video_source":"","video_start":"","video_stop":"","short_description":"Kongjiang Yu\u2019s childhood experiences, and his embrace of GIS technology, guide his holistic sponge city designs.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"Kongjiang Yu\u2019s sponge city concept brings together art and science to store stormwater rather than channel it away, which improves ecological health and aesthetic appeal in urban areas.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nKey Takeaways\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The sponge city concept takes a holistic approach to landscape interventions with ponds, wetlands, and plantings to quell urban flooding.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>An effective response to the climate and biodiversity crisis, sponge cities also improve the quality of life for urban dwellers.<strong>\r\n<\/strong><\/li>\r\n \t<li>Award-winning landscape architect Kongjian Yu views GIS technology as more than a tool\u2014it provides a scientific and artful way to design the world.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"When he was 10 years old, growing up a farmer\u2019s son in a small village in Zhejiang Province of China, Kongjian Yu fell into a river. The water flowed slowly, and he was able to grab ahold of a willow branch to save himself.\r\n\r\nWithin 10 years, the river was completely transformed and far more dangerous.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn the 1980s, we copied what the Americans and Europeans were doing with all these pipe systems,\u201d Yu said. The river was channelized, the trees were removed, and the water became swift and prone to destructive flooding. Had the river been this way when Yu fell in as a child, he's sure he would have drowned.\r\n\r\nThe mechanized landscape imposed on the river had other disastrous effects. It destroyed nature and livelihoods in Yu\u2019s home village. \u201cThe birds stopped coming,\u201d he said. \u201cWe lost the wetlands the buffalo needed.\u201d\r\n\r\nMotivated by his childhood experiences, Yu would eventually create the \"sponge city\" concept\u2014designing a landscape that mimics a natural wetland.\r\n\r\nThe destruction of what he calls a paradise set Yu on a path of study. He wanted to understand the power and benefits of water. He chose landscape architecture and studied geodesign, a method of design and planning informed by geography. He applied geographic information system (GIS) technology to take a holistic and data-driven approach to landscape-level interventions.\r\n\r\nYu's method of using the landscape to capture, filter, and store rainfall has been adopted at 640 sites in 250 municipalities across China. By adapting to water rather than fighting it, the sponge city concept beautifies riverbanks, makes them more resilient to flooding, and improves the lives of people."},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[664562,664552,664482,664502]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Yu recently won landscape architecture\u2019s top recognition. When announcing the award, the 2023 Oberlander Prize committee called Yu a \u201cbrilliant and prolific designer \u2026 [who] is also a force for progressive change in landscape architecture around the world.\u201d\r\n<h3><strong>Achieving Holistic Designs<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nYu developed the sponge city concept as a doctoral student at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (1992\u20131995), where he studied <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/geodesign\">geodesign<\/a> with Carl Steinitz. He was also inspired by Ian McHarg, the founder of ecological design and author of the influential book <em>Design with Nature<\/em>.\r\n\r\nThis coursework informed Yu\u2019s thesis on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0169204696003313\">landscape and ecological security patterns<\/a>. The premise looks at places where portions and positions of the landscape have critical significance in safeguarding species and controlling ecological processes.\r\n\r\nYu was able to demonstrate this concept as a product testing team intern at Esri in 1994. \u201cI used GIS to simulate how animals move, the corridors of critical habitat, and where keystone species are,\u201d he said. \u201cIt's about knowing the most important areas, networks, or patterns to protect the integrity of the ecosystem.\u201d\r\n\r\nYu\u2019s sponge city concept takes a similar approach to restoration. Data and modeling inform large-scale projects to transform neglected urban areas and former industrial sites into landscapes that serve both ecological and social functions.\r\n\r\nYu has used GIS as part of his practice at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turenscape.com\/en\/about\/info.html\">Turenscape<\/a> where he employs 400 people to create sponge city projects. As a professor, he has also exposed more than 1,200 students at Peking University to GIS in the landscape architecture department he founded.\r\n\r\nWhile it\u2019s a tool in his work, he says GIS is far more than software. \u201cIt\u2019s a way of thinking, a way of organizing knowledge in layers, a way of representation,\u201d he said. \u201cIt becomes a scientific way to design the world.\u201d\r\n<h3><strong>Applying Left- and Right-Brain Thinking<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nYu describes his work as solving problems artfully. \u201cIt\u2019s a science and an art,\u201d he said. He sketches the places he will transform, drawing long sculptural features that will also provide an ecological service. His team does a lot of mapping and quantifying of landscape values, such as the types and porosity of soils. The team members simulate the behavior of water at different widths and depths. Features are refined for their function and how visitors will experience them.\r\n\r\nNature-based designs\u2014ponds, wetlands, and planted landscapes\u2014replace metal and concrete in Yu\u2019s designs. He often chooses to terrace slopes, create ponds, and plant reeds and willows alongside the water, re-creating the landscapes of his youth.\r\n\r\n\u201cYou must put the biodiversity layer together with the built layer,\u201d he said."},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[664582,664512,664532]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The results have repeatedly shown that the materials of a sponge city can cost far less and provide more value than concrete and pipes do.\r\n\r\nAt Turenscape, Yu creates spaces that serve biodiversity purposes as well as such needs as agriculture and recreation. Creations return wildlife corridors to the landscape to achieve ecosystem security for species.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhere water and land meet, you have life,\u201d he said. \u201cArt and science can come together to make biodiversity beautiful.\u201d\r\n<h3><strong>Softening the Impact of Climate Change<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nYu believes his boyhood of farming in a monsoon landscape was good practice to address climate change. He saw how his ancestors used terraced fields and ponds to store monsoon rainwater for the dry season because adaptation was needed.\r\n\r\nNow, he would like to see the sponge city concept implemented across regions, nations, and the world\u2014with urgency. He feels keeping water in place is important to cool our cities and even stop sea level rise."},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[664602,664522,664572]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cWe have performance data to show that sponge cities increase biodiversity, clean the water, and solve the problem of urban flooding,\u201d Yu said. \u201cIn addition, people love them. It lowers maintenance costs, and it triples and even quadruples property values in surrounding areas.\u201d\r\n\r\nWith all those benefits, Turenscape is in high demand during a peak period of China\u2019s urban development. The work has expanded elsewhere too, including Thailand, Singapore, and several US cities.\r\n\r\nJack Dangermond, president of Esri, has called Kongjian Yu\u2019s sponge city concept a gift from China. \u201cIt\u2019s appealing, people understand it right away, and it\u2019s doable everywhere,\u201d Dangermond said. \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful work.\u201d\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLearn how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/geodesign\">the geodesign framework and technology create designs in harmony with nature<\/a>."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Center","content":"<h2><strong>Additional Dimensions and Recognition of Kongjian Yu\u2019s Work <\/strong><\/h2>\r\nKongjian Yu\u2019s projects have won many international design awards, including 16 American Society of Landscape Architecture Excellence and Honor Awards and 7 Best Landscape Architecture of the Year awards at the World Architecture Festival. Yu is the author of more than 20 books and 300 papers, and he is the founder and chief editor of the internationally awarded magazine <em>Landscape Architecture Frontiers.<\/em> His thinking about what he calls \u201cecological security patterns\u201d helped shape environmental protection efforts throughout China. And his promotion of the sponge city concept helped spur the Chinese government to launch an ambitious sponge city campaign across the country that has gained global attention. Yu was elected International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016 and received the International Federation of Landscape Architects' highest honor, the Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award, in 2020, which celebrates a living landscape architect whose achievements and contributions have had a unique and lasting impact on the welfare of society. In 2023, Yu\u2014having been selected from more than 300 nominations worldwide\u2014received the prestigious Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize.","snippet":""}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Sponge City&quot;: Using Water to Improve Social and Ecological Outcomes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kongjian Yu\u2019s childhood experiences, and his embrace of GIS technology, guide his holistic sponge city designs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;Sponge City&quot;: Using Water to Improve Social and Ecological Outcomes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kongjian Yu\u2019s childhood experiences, and his embrace of GIS technology, guide his holistic sponge city designs.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-04T16:02:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sponge-City-at-Scale-Sanya-Mangrove-Park_826.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Esri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes\",\n\t            \"name\": \"\\\"Sponge City\\\": Using Water to Improve Social and Ecological Outcomes\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2024-05-14T12:21:37+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2024-11-04T16:02:22+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Kongjian Yu\u2019s childhood experiences, and his embrace of GIS technology, guide his holistic sponge city designs.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"&#8220;Sponge City&#8221;: Using Water to Improve Social and Ecological Outcomes\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Esri\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Esri Newsroom\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/8ad23580b2658589de4ea5107d75cb52\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Matt Ball\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Author-photo-2024-768x768.jpg\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Author-photo-2024-768x768.jpg\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Matt Ball\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"description\": \"Matt Ball is the editor of the Esri Blog and writes about applications of geospatial technology for all its departments. With nearly 30 years of reporting on GIS technology, he has chased future-forward user stories and watched as wild ideas, innovative tools, and enterprise-wide geographic approaches have become common practice. Prior to Esri, he edited GeoWorld magazine, organized the GeoTec Event, founded V1 Media, and launched Sensors &amp; Systems and Informed Infrastructure magazines. He\u2019s thrilled to be closer to GIS users, and at a company that pushes what\u2019s possible.\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/author\/mball\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\"Sponge City\": Using Water to Improve Social and Ecological Outcomes","description":"Kongjian Yu\u2019s childhood experiences, and his embrace of GIS technology, guide his holistic sponge city designs.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\"Sponge City\": Using Water to Improve Social and Ecological Outcomes","og_description":"Kongjian Yu\u2019s childhood experiences, and his embrace of GIS technology, guide his holistic sponge city designs.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes","og_site_name":"Esri","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","article_modified_time":"2024-11-04T16:02:22+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sponge-City-at-Scale-Sanya-Mangrove-Park_826.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Esri","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes","name":"\"Sponge City\": Using Water to Improve Social and Ecological Outcomes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-05-14T12:21:37+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-04T16:02:22+00:00","description":"Kongjian Yu\u2019s childhood experiences, and his embrace of GIS technology, guide his holistic sponge city designs.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/sponge-city-improves-social-ecological-outcomes#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"&#8220;Sponge City&#8221;: Using Water to Improve Social and Ecological Outcomes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/","name":"Esri","description":"Esri Newsroom","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/8ad23580b2658589de4ea5107d75cb52","name":"Matt Ball","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Author-photo-2024-768x768.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Author-photo-2024-768x768.jpg","caption":"Matt Ball"},"description":"Matt Ball is the editor of the Esri Blog and writes about applications of geospatial technology for all its departments. With nearly 30 years of reporting on GIS technology, he has chased future-forward user stories and watched as wild ideas, innovative tools, and enterprise-wide geographic approaches have become common practice. Prior to Esri, he edited GeoWorld magazine, organized the GeoTec Event, founded V1 Media, and launched Sensors &amp; Systems and Informed Infrastructure magazines. He\u2019s thrilled to be closer to GIS users, and at a company that pushes what\u2019s possible.","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/author\/mball"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/664472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/664472\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=664472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=664472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=664472"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=664472"},{"taxonomy":"esri-blog-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/esri-blog-category?post=664472"},{"taxonomy":"esri_blog_department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/esri_blog_department?post=664472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}